Post by papawheelie on May 14, 2018 18:07:23 GMT -7

I've been wanting to try this, and found the time this afternoon. It took about 4 hours to disassemble, modify the stock front sprocket cover, and put it back together.

I'm happy with it for now, and will see how I feel about it in a few weeks/months.

Anywho, my hyper naked bike now has a naked front sprocket...

BEFORE (we’ve all seen this):

AFTER:

I cut out the middle of the plastic cover, leaving the functional bits for reassembly (three bolts secure the cover as well as the chain guide behind the cover). The portion that’s left also manages to keep things clean if/when lubricant slings off the chain.

It’s not perfect (yet), but pretty dang close. Most of my time was spent tediously making the cuts and cleaning them up. I ran out of time this afternoon. Soon, I’ll take a little sand paper to my cut edges to ultimately finish them off.

Post by papawheelie on May 16, 2018 16:39:54 GMT -7

Yes, started with a Dremel tool and a basic cutting wheel. I used a very low RPM (5k), but it still melted the plastic as much as cut it. Luckily, I anticipated this, and left about 1\8” of material (to remove at the next step) while making my initial cuts with the Dremel.

Once the bulk of the plastic was removed, I used a good quality utility knife, with a new blade, to tediously make my razor cut along my intended lines. This was the most time-consuming part, and it was time well-spent. My lines turned out perfectly straight, and very smooth in the corner sections.

Then, I used some modeling tools to clean up the edges a bit, along with a sanding wheel (at the lowest RPM and very light pressure) on the Dremel again. I ran out of time, but will soon finish the edges with a couple passes of sand paper to make my edges perfectly smooth and just slightly round off the edges.

After riding for a few days, I really like the look. I like walking up to it and admiring the exposed front sprocket. It obviously adds to the "naked" genre, and gives it a bit of a custom flair as well.

Post by latte on May 21, 2018 4:49:39 GMT -7

Depends on the type of lube you use, some of the Teflon stuff (DuPont) flings nothing. Plus, whatever does fling usually flings outwards on the same plane as the chain and not out of the side. I ran no cover on a supermoto for a couple seasons and never had a problem with lube hitting my boot.

Post by papawheelie on May 23, 2018 14:16:15 GMT -7

Well, I’ve put about a thousand miles on it since modifying the cover, and I like it. I would do it again. I think it looks kinda awesome and definitely goes along with the "naked" aspect of the machine.

As far as gunk and mess goes, it’s a non-issue. If you have an issue with lots of lubricant slinging off your chain, then you’re using way too much and/or the wrong type. When I got this bike, I had to educate myself on sealed o-ring drive chains. If it’s a good chain (and I believe these probably are), then the internals are greased well at the factory during production and sealed (with the o-rings). With a little care, that factory grease is meant to last the life of the chain. The rubber o-rings keep that factory grease inside where it belongs, and the road grime out. We just have to do routine maintenance in order to keep those little rubber o-rings clean and lubricated so that they don’t dry out and prematurely break down. When lubricating o-ring chains, the lubricant should be very precisely applied to the rubber o-rings. Lubricating the metal parts (especially outside surfaces) does nothing for the chain, and only makes a mess. After lubricating, any excess lubricant should be wiped off the outside surfaces.

My habit is to thoroughly clean and lubricate my drive chain every 1,000 miles. Even at the end of those 1,000 miles, the chain and both sprockets still look pretty good. It helps that I live in a dry climate and don’t have to ride on dirt roads. For better or worse, it’s rained only three days in Phoenix in the past 6 months, and those are the only three days that I drove the car versus the FZ-10.

I’ve tried a few different lubricants on this chain, and I like the Maxima brand chain cleaner and wax products. I’ve seen a different thread on the forum, related specifically to chain lubricant, and it seems to be pretty popular here as well.

My only real concern, when I originally modified the cover, was the safety factor. The thought of a pant leg, shoe lace, etc getting caught in that front sprocket is the only thing that made me reluctant. I’ve decided to be ok with that, though. My foot is so far behind that front sprocket, that I’m not concerned. But, it is something that shouldn’t be ignored.

Post by morbo on May 28, 2018 18:27:53 GMT -7

I really like heathhudnall's take on this. I ride in jeans frequently but I'd worry about my pants flapping around and getting caught in the sprocket. Obviously you guys don't share the same concerns. I guess they'd have to be pretty baggy/loose pants for that happen.

I was thinking about doing this and try and find some mesh to attach to the back of the sprocket cover.

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